**RECIPE** Amish Sweet Bread (SOOO easy!)

I recently stunned myself by baking a wonderful loaf of bread. I can cook and I can do a cheesecake when the moon is right, but I'm not generally a baker. I've never been patient enough. However... I found a recipe for an Amish sweet bread that is so easy even I can't mess it up. It helps that the people at Big Family Homestead. This link is to the YouTube channel where I found the recipe but they also have a website with a bunch of other recipes and stuff.

This is the video but, for those of you like me who want the thing written out, here is my transcription:

INGREDIENTS (for 4 loaves)

• 4 cups water (almost too hot to touch)
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 Tbls active dry yeast
• 3 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup oil (I used canola)
• 10 to 12 cups flour (I used all purpose)
• and a bit of oil, butter or lard to grease pans

EQUIPMENT

• 4 loaf pans (mine were about 5 x 9 - or 1.5qt)
• A large bowl for mixing the dough and letting it rise (or "proof")
• damp towels or some plastic wrap to cover the dough
• a surface to be floured for kneading the dough
• a knife or dough cutter for sectioning dough (and for scraping/cleaning kneading surface)
• Cooling racks (I used one of the racks out of my oven)

NOTES:

• It's currently cold & dry where I live so I warmed the kitchen and raised the humidity by keeping a couple of pots of water simmering on the stove.
• Do be patient. My dough needed a little bit more time to rise than the recipe calls for.
• If you do substitute self-rise flour for the all-purpose (I did in one loaf), cut out or cut back on the salt. I cut the salt out and everything was fine, but I might have lucked out.

STEPS:

1. Flour the surface where you will be kneading your dough on later.
2. In the large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar into the warm/hot water.
3. Add the yeast to the water mix and stir just very enough to wet the yeast. Wait until the yeast begins to foam a bit. This took longer than I expected.
4. Add the oil to the mixture and stir lightly.
5. Add about half of the flour. (NOTE: This is where I blended the salt into this half of the flour to incorporate it well. That way, if I don't need all the flour, I won't have forgotten to blend in the salt.)
6. The first half of the flour (and the salt) will make a soup-like mix. Start adding more flour and stirring, a little at a time until you have a sticky thick dough that you can turn out onto your floured surface.
7. Add some flour to the top of the dough so that you can begin kneading it. You will keep adding flour until you have a dough that is no longer sticky. It took me about 7 minutes(not just the 5 to 6)to get my dough right.
8. Pat or tuck the dough into a ball and put it back in the bowl to rise (or proof) for about an hour - or until the dough has doubled in size. This is where you want to cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a warm damp towel. (The damp towel worked best because of the drier air in the apartment.)
9. While waiting for the dough to rise, clean the kneading surface and re-flour it for later.
10. Take the risen dough and turn it out onto the freshly floured surface and knead it into a smooth ball. Flatten the ball of dough out so that you can divide it into 4 equal parts.
11. Make the loaf shapes by rolling each section of dough into a thick log. Tuck the sides under the bottoms so that it sits nicely into the loaf pan.
12. Cover the loaf pans with your towel or plastic and let the loaves rest for about 45 minutes. (Remeber to pre-heat your oven at about the 35-minute mark.)
13. While waiting for the dough to rest, it's a good time to clean up all the flour where you kneaded.
14. After the 45 minutes, put the loaf pans in the heated oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
15. While bread is baking, set out your cooling racks.
16. As soon as you take the bread out of the oven, turn them out of the pans and onto the cooling rack. (This keeps the hot bread from getting soggy in the pans.)
17. You're supposed to wait for the bread to cool to be easier to cut, but... I sliced mine after about 15 minutes and it was fine!

That's it. It's super easy and most of the time is taken up waiting for the dough to rise and then bake. I hope these directions aren't tedious but I need step-by-step instructions so this is how I transcribed the recipe. I think I had to pause and rewind a thousand times before I got it all down. 

I actually pulled this video up on my tablet in the kitchen while I was making my bread! Here you go:

BENEFITS OF BAKING

It's a mood-lifter
Like I said, I am pleased with myself that the bread came out so delicious. The other thing I discovered is that baking is a great reliever of anxiety and depression. I was having a severe bout of anxiety and couldn't sleep for over 20 hours. The baking gave me something to do that I could do without getting frustrated by the tasks. Later,  the smells of the bread in the oven soothed me a lot. Once I finished those first loaves, I was able to settle down and get some sleep. It was all very therapeutic.

It tasted healthier
I don't want to forget to mention another important benefit to making my own bread and that is the calorie factor. I'm not going to say that eating 5 slices of this bread was the best breakfast I could have had but it sure was better than eating bread loaded down with preservatives. At least I know exactly what went into my own bread and I did not feel bloated and stuffed (even after 5 slices with butter) after eating it.

The more expensive breads are touted to be healthier but they still have lots of ingredients I may not want. My own bread was made with only SIX ingredients - including the water. Here is an article from Naturally Savvy that discusses some typical store-bought bread ingredients.

It was cheap to make
I can get a loaf of bread here in my town for $0.99 - $5.00. The cheaper bread is not always the freshest or tastiest. When I got ready to make my bread, I didn't need to purchase anything in addition to the staples I always have on hand. Now, I don't normally have yeast on hand, but I did this time and it's not something I find too expensive to make a staple item. Not only can I get huge bags of flour and sugar on the cheap, but oil and yeast are not too pricey. Basically, this bread cost me very, very little to make.

I hope some of you get to try this recipe. I love the Big Family Homestead YouTube channel and just saw their recipe for cinnamon rolls... Transcribing takes me a lot of time, but I will work on that recipe when I can.

Here is how my bread turned out the very first time!

Peace
--Free

**UPDATE** Intermittent Fasting Results

The intermittent fasting is still going well for me. Every time I do one of these updates, I seem to have found more resources that are helpful to me. I will include those links at the bottom of the post. First, though, it's time for the photos showing the most recent results against the March photos. And for today's pics, I will just cover up that hair since I was out of the shower and not groomed!









































(I have to start paying attention to which way I'm standing when I take these pics...)

Maybe for some folks, this doesn't seem like a lot of progress for a 4 month period but keep in mind that, because of my fatigue, I haven't been exercising. I do try to go outside and walk around the apartment building a couple times a day. That's about half a block.

My weight loss has been fluctuating but, taking the advice of some of my nurses, I am looking more at visible and no-scale results. If I go by how my clothing fits, I am on the right track. Also, my feet have not been hurting as badly.

I have switched up on the way I do my fasts. Some of the changes I have incorporated are fluctuating between fasting between 16, 18, and 20 hours each day. I haven't done another 24-hour fast since March but I don't feel the need to do one for a while. Things are, as I said, going well enough. The biggest part of my weight loss is not coming just from fasting but also from what I eat during the feeding hours.

This is what I try to keep on hand in the fridge and pantry:

• Lots of chicken breasts
• A little bit of ground beef
• Bacon
• Fresh spinach, Kale, Collards (used to get frozen until I got the food sealer)
• Sliced olives, chopped green chiles (mild), fresh tomato salsa\
• Onions and garlic (of course!)
• Coconut milk (mostly for Bulletproof coffees)
• Coconut oil (unrefined or soft for medium heat)
• Heavy whipping cream (mostly for Bulletproof - BPC - coffees)
• Full-fat shelf-stable milk (cos I don't use that often)
• Trail mix with nuts, and some dark chocolate (see note in next paragraph)
• MCT oil (after reading tons of reviews, I am using this brand) 
• EVOO
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Raw or (when I can afford it) Manuka honey
• Melons - honeydew, yellow, water, etc. - (whatever is on sale)
• Lots of unsalted butter, full-fat mayo
• Lots of filtered water
• Pellegrino Sparkling water when I can afford it
• Dark roast coffee - McDonald's brand for drinking it black & Cafe Bustelo for making BPC

As far as the trail mix, it can be expensive even at Walmart so I get one of the big $7 buckets, then buy walnuts and pecans when they are on sale. I will toss the sale nuts into the trail mix bucket to add to the mix. I keep this bucket in the freezer so that the raisins and cranberries don't clump. This is a nice snack along with the dark chocolate. For the dark chocolate, again I get whatever is on the cheap, On my last grocery run, Walmart had the bags of Dove dark chocolate pieces on sale. There are about 30 pieces to a bag so I stuck to just one!

I've been watching the YouTube channel 2 Fit Docs because one of them is a nutritionist and they both practice IF. The husband also practices full Keto and lost 53 pounds in 22 weeks. I also like checking in on the channel Dot2Trot because she has awesome recipes. I like doing a variation of her pizza casserole.

By the way, I am not practicing full Keto; I do keep an eye on my carb intake. Now, as I mentioned, here are some links that might be useful to you all who are trying to do this kind of eating plan.

• I might have posted this before, but it's a beginner's guide intermittent fasting
• If you want a crust with your pizza, a friend recommended this recipe to me
• If you need a Keto-friendly grocery shopping list, this one's a start
• This is a good recipe for quiche (sans crust!) 

By the way, there are some good phone/tablet apps for anyone dieting, fasting, or just trying to be healthier. I personally use Fat Secret, iFast, and Time Until. Those are all in the Play store for Android and I'm sure you can find them on iTunes.

Peace

--Free

**RECIPE** Soothing Hot Cocoa

Anyone who reads my blog regularly know that I have a condition that requires me to take certain medicines. One of those medications is a weekly injection that happens to make me dog-sick for about 30 hours. (Yeah, I have actually counted and done an average!)

 A couple of weeks ago, after I got especially med-sick, I decided to put some of my talk about natural products into action. To get my energy up and keep the nausea at bay, I made a cocoa just full of healthy stuff.

Here are the ingredients - along with why I chose them. I have to tell you that I am in love with this cocoa. I have been drinking it the last couple of days just because. I will drink it during the day (instead of coffee), or at nighttime if I feel cold.

I make about a 9 ounce cup of whole fat milk for the beverage  but I will let you come up with your own measurements. It all depends on how bitter or sweet you want your finished product. I like mine on the bitter side so I use about 1.5 Tablespoons of cocoa powder. Every other ingredient amount depends on what mood I am in. Also, I only make my beverage on the stove top. I use a small pan and a whisk on low-to-medium heat. It takes a while and I guess you could heat your milk in the microwave then add the other ingredients, but I like the old-fashioned way.

First, measure out your milk into whatever cup you will drink from. This way you won't make too little or too much. If you don't have a whisk, use a large fork so you don't get clumps of cocoa and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the milk in your pan a little at a time - especially if you are working without a whisk. Whether you use a fork or a whisk, you want to keep stirring while the mixture is on the heat so you don't get that "skin" film right away.

Organic Cocoa Powder 

Cocoa powder has lots of health benefits, but the one I am interested in is that it fights fatigue. Here is just one article discussing the pros. Also, I wanted to include something from WebMD that discusses more benefits and even warnings.

Ceylon Cinnamon

The taste of this is not as "sharp" as regular cinnamon. It's a lot softer so you can use more than you might think.  This explains Ceylon cinnamon basics.

The cinnamon is mostly for the benefits to my mental health. There are other pros to cinnamon, but you have to be watchful. The thing is that there is "good" cinnamon vs the kind with an ingredient that can be damaging. Once I learned that over-indulging in certain types of cinnamon can damage the liver, I started using only Ceylon cinnamon. This is the brand I like and happen to be using.

Blackstrap Molasses

I use this as the sweetener in the cocoa beverage. Sometimes, I use more molasses (just over a half tablespoon)  and don't add any other sugars; sometimes, I add less (around a teaspoon) and include some raw granulated sugar. Depends on my mood.

'Strap is high in iron and calcium. I use the unsulphured molasses and there is a difference between this and the sulphured variety. You will see why I prefer unsulphured. There are tons of benefits, in my opinion, and good nutritional value. One I focus on is that it's a "bone booster".

As much as I raved about this, I stopped using it on a regular basis some months ago. I was getting ready to move and could have used the energy boost but needed more ways to incorporate the molasses into my daily intake. This cocoa is a great way. Also, now that I have a full kitchen to use again, I cook more and like to  sweeten hot cereals and other dishes with the molasses.

(A little mention that, even for people who don't like the taste of molasses straight from the bottle, it's got a really good taste when added to milk and stirred well. That's how I take it when I just want to get a quick dose.)

Organic vanilla extract

I only add a drop or two of this. I don't add it when heating the cocoa, but just drop it in when I'm about to drink up.

Everyone I know loves the flavor of vanilla in some form. Not many people use the actual and real extract or even understand the benefits.

Vanilla extract has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Those are the two important ones I care about. There are other good reasons to add the extract to this cocoa.

NOTE: Try to rinse out your pan immediately. Milk and cocoa are tough to clean later. I also just add some water to the dirty pan and put it on the still warm stove top until I'm ready to wash it out.

 Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Organic Paleo Cultured Brown Butter Ghee

This post is mainly for anyone eating a Keto or Paleo diet - or anyone that likes organic foods.

I've talked about using butter and ghee as part of my keto eating regimen. You can read here about some of the brands and types I've previously tried. This is the most recent brand of ghee I am trying and I think it's my favorite so far:

                                           

It would be my absolute favorite, hands down, except I can't find it anywhere locally. I'm going to have to check and see if my town's health food stores can order some. It's not a Prime product on Amazon and the shipping charge was almost same as for the product. Where I do find it labeled as a Prime item, the price is higher. Go figure....

Ghee (in general) is an acquired taste, in my opinion. I do think that if more people knew about it, they would prefer using ghee in place of their ordinary butter. Go back and check that previous post to see what I mean. Ghee is about as basic in flavor as any butter. Adding it to foods can alter the texture or amp the flavor, but it's not strong on it's own. When I add it to my coffee, for instance, it adds a creaminess but it doesn't make the coffee taste like butter.

The reason I like this brown butter ghee is because of the flavor. It's so faint that I almost don't notice it but, once I do, I realize it adds to the richness of my coffee. It's less noticeable on food, though.

As soon as you open the jar, you can smell a caramel-like fragrance. It's really, really nice. It reminds me exactly of something else I've smelled - a candy or baked good, I'm thinking - but I haven't been able to place which one yet. I even had my niece take a sniff and she knows what I'm talking about but can't think of what it is either.

As the name reveals, this particular ghee is a much deeper shade than the others I've tried. The color is obtained by a longer cooking process, according to the label.

 I wouldn't say that it's exactly brown though. To me, it looks more like a blend of these two different shades of brown:

Here is how my phone camera picks it up. It's actually a touch darker in reality.

Speaking of the label, this one lets you know about the sourcing and batching of the product:

The label info includes: that this is sourced from grass-fed cows (raised in Northern California); and is made in small batches. Here is the product page I ordered mine from: Organic Paleo Cultured Brown Butter Ghee, Grass Fed, Casein and Lactose Free (8 oz). It is not Prime eligible and costs $8.95+ shipping. I thought the shipping was too high but I got mine using a gift credit I had.

Anyway, this is not one that I plan to use on the skin (although the nice scent might make it worth it!). If I have one complaint, it's that I didn't get this is a larger jar size. Like I mentioned, I can only order it online but the shipping is too much for me. I'm looking for a comparable product so I'm reading a ton of reviews right now!

Since I am on the keto diet, I don't eat much bread. I did try this out on a little piece of toast and it was very nice. Not much different from the other clarified butters when using it on the bread. I can tell more of a difference in its richness when I use it in my coffee.

If anyone has suggestions for a good ghee that they have tried (and that I might be able to find on Amazon),please let me know.

Peace
--Free

Low Carb Check-in (and a **REVIEW** of Atkins Snack Bar)

So, it's Day 3 (if I am counting full days & not the one where I cheated like Tiger Woods) and I was able to get into a top that I bought months ago, and I was able to get into my cute boots. Yay.

Odd thing is, I'm losing inches but I don't see a bit decrease in pounds. Matter of fact, depending on which time of day I step on the scale, I might be a bit UP in weight from the last time.

Good news is, I've decided not to worry about the pounds showing on the scale as much as I look at how my clothing fits. Also, how I feel is a big indicator of positive results. The most positive result so far: I'm not as crashed-out and tired feeling. Last night I worked on the book for more than 3 hours at a sitting, That has not happened in a while because I either get sleepy or muddled and have to stop working.

I've gotten into a better groove with my eating patterns. I'm not just scarfing down eggs or chops like it's a command performance. I had to learn to eat when I'm hungry. That sounds crazy, because everyone knows to eat when they are hungry. Right? Maybe not. As my body adjusts to this diet, I'm finding that I'm not hungry as often as I used to be. I've had to break the habit of eating food (or snacks) just because they are there, Basically, I'm learning to listen to my true hunger and, for any snacks, I'm pacing myself.

I already told you that I love, love, love this flavor of Market Pantry brand water enhancer:

I actually thought about trying another flavor, but I'm going to stick with what I know! Plus, these are only around $2.65 at the regular price and I'm sure there's going to be a sale every now and then.  My niece and a couple of my friends really like the Crystal Light powders. I wasn't crazy about Crystal Light because of the fake/acidic aftertaste.  (If anyone has tried the Dasani ones, let me know what you think about those.)

One thing that I will be re-stocking is that Viva Labs Organic Cacao Powder that I reviewed not long ago. It has become a favorite substitute for creamer when I need to add flavor to my coffee.  In addition to the yummy taste (which, by the way, is great for boosting those cheap and weak-tasting coffees), cacao powder is good for the body in general. I've been worried about my sarc for the last several months and am doing everything I can to boost my immune system. (Now I will have to do a review of the powder!)

I take the pure cacao (left)
and add it to coffee creamer powder (right)

Okay, that all covers the check-in part of this post. Let's move on to the REVIEW of the Atkins Bars,
which are now a favorite snack of mine - even though I think they're kind of pricey. Or maybe not. I just re-checked my receipt and see that I paid $6.29 for a box of 5 bars. So, not too bad, I guess. I should look for them at Costco or Sam's to see if there is a price-break.

I was only tempted by the name of these. That photo doesn't exactly make the mouth water, does it?

It looks like a lie

Most sugar-free or low-sugar have a weird texture, an odd metallic undertaste, or they just make you want to spit them out and scrape your tongue free of any residue.

To start by telling the truth, I never expect a low-carb, low-sugar "snack" to taste good. My sister, a brother, and my mother were all diabetic dialysis patients. You better bet that I've tasted my share of "high protein", low-sugar bars, shakes, candies, etc.

It's a good thing I got to the stage of opening up the wrapper. I was really encouraged by the look of the actual bar. I have to suggest Atkins changes that wrapper which almost scared me into buying a Snickers instead.

is that malted milk in the center???
I loathe malted milk!

This low-carb treat is almost as good as a Snickers. Mostly. it reminds me of a large version of those little round "turtle" candies but with less carmel.

These are turtle candies

This is the Atkins

No malted milk anywhere in there, praise Jesus.

The chocolate is surprisingly smooth and, well, chocolate-y. Sometimes, "healthy" chocolate has a waxy texture. I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of the store when I had my first bite and, boy, this one hit the tongue like a good, messy chocolate, just the way I like it. After eating nothing but eggs, chops, and neckbones for a few days, this was such a welcome treat. I'm sure that anyone seeing me right then wanted to suggest that my chocolate and I go get a room.

Now, there is a bit of a salty undertaste that I didn't notice the first time I ate one of these. I guess I was so excited about snacking on something involving chocolate and nuts to notice. My tongue was too happy with the chocolate to taste any salt. And the saltiness is not very pronounced or unpleasant. As a matter of fact, just like most chocolate lovers know, the saltiness sort of  intensified the chocolate flavor

So, yes, in my book, this bar is a winner.

Peace
--Free

Getting Lean & Going Low (Low Carb Weight Loss)

Anytime I'm fat and decide to do something about it, I get a little cranky. For that reason, there won't be a regular post today. Instead, here are my recent, current, and pending thoughts:

• If only I'd known about the low carb thing before...
• I'm losing most of my first day's weight just running to the toilet.
• After the first 8.5 hours, I've peed away at least 3 pounds.
• I could do low-carb so easy if donuts were low-carb.
• Or those butter bars from the Walmart bakery section.
• Donuts are not low carb, low sugar or low fat. 
• Butter bars are Satan's latest tool to pull me under.
• Why can't all diet soda taste as good as Fresca? I once drank Fresca for 2 weeks before I realized it was diet. 
• Fresca. Carb = 1g. Sodium = 35mg. Fresca. Good stuff. Liquid manna.
• I never liked hot sauce until I went low carb. 
• Frank's hot sauce is so good that I want to marry it.
• I might not want to marry the super-spicy sauce, but the Buffalo sauce. I'm getting it a ring.
• I really like eggs. I thought that I could live on nothing but eggs if I had to. Then I did an egg fast.
• I can't live on nothing but eggs. (And Grammarly hates double negatives, by the way.)
• Unless I have some of that hot sauce. Then I might make it at least four days.
• Do you know how good and delicious a pork chop tastes after you've eaten nothing but eggs for hours?
• After  hours of nothing but eggs, I almost passed out when I tasted a piece of bacon.
• I can do low-carb and low-fat, but it's really hard to keep those sodium numbers down.
• I was so bloated when I started this regimen that I couldn't even suck in like Homer Simpson.
• Well,  I could suck in but my gut didn't move.
• After 48 hours, I can not only do a suck in, I almost don't need to.
• I have proven something for myself and I feel like a science project.
• I proved that it's both the amount and kinds of calories that make a difference.
• Anyone wants to argue, try eating 1200 calories a day in soup and trail mix. Then try eating 1800 calories in meat/fish and leafy, green vegetables.
• My body gets all skinny and happy on the meat and veggies. On the soup and trail mix, my body was all bitchy and carried a mental switchblade. 
• I can't stop thinking about that hot sauce.
• Wonder if Frank's needs a spokesperson for that hot sauce?
• It's time for my egg snack, but I am really tired of eggs.
• Hmmm... a pat of butter on a warm boiled egg is really quite good. Quite good.
• Hot sauce on the boiled egg tastes better, though.
• Wish there wasn't so much sodium in this sauce.
• Otherwise, I'd be happy dipping celery in it. And I really hate celery. But that sauce...
• My short term, non-critical goals in life are all to do with foods and beverages.
• First goal: find an Almond Joy creamer with less carbs and fat. 
• Second goal: go wrap tiny pieces of donuts up in some fried bacon for a half-healthy snack.
• Third goal: sit on a blanket in the sun, drinking coffee with Almond Joy creamer and eating my "dough bacon" snacks.
• Fourth goal: find a way to market my donut bacon snacks.
• Scratch Goal 4. I think someone in New York beat me to it.
• Note to self: visit New York to try all those hip donut combos I hear about.
• Time to weigh in for the evening.
• Dang. I'm going to do another weigh-in in an hour.
• All those thoughts about donuts added a pound. I'm sure that's what happened.
• Second weigh in went much better. It's my heavy-soled sandals that tipped the scales upward.
• I wonder just how much my hair weighs now that it's grown back out?
• Time to see what the hot sauce tastes like on some neckbones.
• Hmmm... Why am I not that hungry now? 
• I think the best benefit of this diet is starting to kick in.
• I could actually turn my nose up at something sweet and decadent right now (as long as that something isn't in the form of a Denzel look-a-like)...

Seriously, though, I am doing very well on a low-carb (and reasonably low-fat) diet. I wish I knew why this kind of food regimen is discussed more.

The one problem I had when I was at my heaviest was trying to exercise. I don't mean I wasn't motivated because I was. The problem was that, carrying so much weight, I had trouble moving at all, let alone exercising.

If only someone had told me before that there was a way to at least jump start my weight loss - without trying to get to a gym or take long walks in the freaking winter snow or high summer heat!

What I got when I asked around about various diets was the usual spiel: low cal, low fat, more exercise, better sleep, less anxiety... Excuse my filthy moment, but Bitch, puh-lease!

If I had known how easy it is to do a low carb diet, I'd have been back in my size 4's two years ago. So, you can bet I'm going to be telling folks to check out a low-carb diet.

By the way, want to mention the Vlogger who really inspired me, not just because she is sharing her personal journey, but because she dared embark on the journey. She makes the whole idea of losing a lot of weight seem so very possible. Here is just one of her videos.

Check the links on her YouTube page and give her some mad support. That perky attitude and genuine personality is just perfect for a mainstream audience. I don't know why some brand isn't knocking down her door, hiring her as a spokesperson. She certainly got me fired up.

Now, I don't want (or need) to lose 40 or 80 pounds in a couple of months. What I would love to do, is eventually make my way back to the 130-140lb range. After that, I'll start dusting off my size 4 jeans. And when I say I want to be a size 4, I don't say that because there is anything wrong with ladies of other sizes. I say I want to be a size 4 because I do want to be a size 4 again. Before the illness and the steroids, I didn't know nothin' bout no size sixes or fourteens. I really don't think my skeleton was built to hold this size *^%#@%^ body. LOL

I am not doing a low carb regimen as extreme as Kaylah Cupcake's, but it's still a huge change for me. This is just week 1 so I am playing with different plans to see what feels comfortable. This is what I'm starting with:

That might seem drastic for someone who loves their Almond Joy creamer so much but apparently, it's not fat or calories I have trouble with. It's my sodium intake:

I'm over on my fat by a bit, but that's fine. It's that sodium that's crazy!

This shows how easy it is to have ONE item in your daily diet that can mess you up. I still have a calorie allowance for this day, so you know I'm not just pigging out on the world. Nope. I love My Fitness Pal for this single reason: I can pinpoint my food problems.

Damn that wonderfully delicious hot sauce!

So, yeah, I'm having to learn how to move my foods around so that I don't get all bunched up with sodium or fat. Most of my fat that didn't come from meat, came with a tuna-with-mayo snack. I really have to watch my snacking...

The good thing is that I am not hungry in the least - even with almost 600 calories left to go. I'm just going to have to find a low-sodium snack for the night.

Can we all say pistachioThin Addictives???

Done. Hahahaha!!!

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Ceylon Cinnamon Powder (Frontier Co-Op)

Here I am again, trying to do something natural and healthy for myself.

Years ago, I heard talk about cinnamon being good for you. I was never a big cinnamon fan. When other kids were eating cinnamon toast and cinnamon cereals, I was sticking to the plain stuff. I like the taste of cinnamon in very small quantities because the flavor is too spike-y or "hot" for me. You know me, when I do something, I go all out. Good thing I never got into the cinnamon craze when I first heard of it because the only kind I'd heard of was the most common types: Cassia and Saigon. Those are tasty (if you like cinnamon), but they contain something called coumarin. Too much of this coumarin can have a negative effect on the liver.

When more recently I started hearing about the health benefits of cinnamon, I did a little research. What I learned is that there is a cinnamon that has very little of the coumarin that is to be avoided.

You can see that the powdered Ceylon cinnamon is a different color than the kind we've grown up sprinkling on our toast. It's also a very fine (talc-like) texture.

Ceylon cinnamon is from Sri Lanka. Where the common type of cinnamon found in local grocery stores can have as much as 63 times more coumarin than the Ceylon variety. Big difference. Also, the flavor of Ceylon is milder.

Some of the claimed benefits of cinnamon in general and specific types of:

• Regulating the blood sugar
• Helping with weight loss
• Lowering cholesterol
• Treating yeast infections
• Anti-inflammatory & anti-oxidant
• Relief for depression
• Helps concentration and memory
• Good for the immune system

I just like spices and experimenting with new ones so I figured, why not cinnamon? But I had to find the Ceylon (or Cinnamon Verum) type. The one I could find that had good "ratings" and reviews from other users was this one from Frontier Co-op.

Let's go straight Pro and Con with this one:

PROS - 

• The brand source does have lots of good reviews from users.
• The size and price* is very reasonable (especially considering how little I need to use for a serving)
• The taste is amazing.
• Their website is wonderfully informative (about the company and user info)
• The company lists their contact number for questions (and they answer those questions)
• The company is a Fair Trade co-op (which equals ethics in sourcing).

*Note The price for this 1-lb bag was $18.57. I had to do a double-take when I saw the prices for larger quantities:

I don't think I'd ever need anything larger than the 1 pounder but, if I did, why wouldn't I just order 2 or 3 of the one I did buy? I mean, why does the price-per-unit go up on that listing???

CONS - 

• Not much info on label for new cinnamon users
• The powder doesn't "melt" completely, and...
• ... is very fibrous (which might also be a Pro)
• Country of Origin not labeled (you have to call)
• Amazon Product Page info confusing on C/O also
• Their website doesn't offer a lot of info on their products' pages
• No scoop included (okay - I'm being a bit petty)

Really, though, there's not much not to like about this product. Because I am a rookie at using this kind of cinnamon, I did have to do some searching. Since I don't plan to bake with this cinnamon, I looked into ways of cooking with it. For me, that's going to be limited pretty much to mixing this with other spices. I'll end up adding some to what I call my TCC spice mix (Tumeric, Curry, Cardamom) for seasoning meat and veggies.

What I will be using this a LOT for is as a beverage enhancer. 

Cinnamon and honey drinks are supposed to be great for weight loss. I think that's because (at least for me) they help reduce cravings and give a boost of energy. It's claimed that you can lost up to 5 pounds a week with the mixture. I don't know about all that. I'll have to let you know how that works out later. For now, I just love the way this tastes. 

I call this my "Cinnamon Sludge" drink. It's basically about 2/4 cup of the cinnamon powder, 2/4 cup of raw (filtered) honey, and around 4 1/2 cup of water. 

I boil the water and cinnamon (stirring it a lot), the I let that mixture cool down before I add it to my honey. (Remember that too much heat can leech some honey benefits.). 

When I add this to a container, I will let the "sludge" of the powder settle to the bottom so that I can sip from the clearest part. Every now and then, I shake the container, then let it settle again. From the photos, you can see the difference when shaken (right)  and then settled (left).

I don't drink all this amount you see at one time. What I do is sip from it off and on during the day (making sure to get some first thing in the morning and last thing before bed), adding up to about 1 cup per day. 

This helps me not have to make a new batchup every day. I keep the ready batch in the fridge in between drinking it. When I finish off this batch, I will add more cinnamon and honey to the "sludge" residue.

Here's the thing, since I gave up carbonated drinks a long time ago, I limit myself to coffee, water, honey-water and, every now and then, a bottle of juice. That gets boring and, sometimes, I am really tempted to buy a Dr. Pepper or Sprite when I'm at the store. The only thing stopping me is I can no longer finish more than a few mouthfuls of that stuff. Yew-ick! Having this cinnamon-honey mix is nice. If I want to drink more than a cup a day, I can always dilute it with more water.

Peace

--Free

The Extended Fasting Plan

I've lost about 14 pounds in the past 3 months. Six of those pounds came back for a visit recently. I backslid in my gym and eating habits.

So.

I'm getting ready to double down on the 8 pound loss.  And I even have a plan. (Yes, another of my plans!)


(The photos you're seeing will make sense as you read the post...)

First off, I have to get back to the gym. That's going to be much easier now that warmer and sunnier is finally showing up around here. Finally. Second, I am going to have to eat better - and that doesn't mean skipping one of my many cups of daily coffee with extra creamer.

I'm going to be using a modified fasting plan to both lose some weight and up my prayer life. Just as much as I've been ignoring my health, I've been slacking on reading my daily Bible reading and meditations. They might even go hand in hand.

Whatever.

The other week, a friend and I were talking about an article she'd read about losing weight "while you sleep". Yeah. Ri-iiight. Of course, that part was just to get readers to pay attention to the whole eating plan. It's simple (like my friend and I) so it's something I can do with a little bit of discipline. All I have is a little discipline, so it's really perfect.

The basic idea is that we fast while we sleep (which is why the first meal of the day is a breaking of the fast, or breakfast), so we could extend that fasting period. Of course, what we do eat for meals is a big part of the weight loss. That's it. Simple.

My friend (I'll call her "Daisy") has been doing this extended daily fasting for about three weeks. She's lost over 12 pounds. She jokes that she thinks that initial weight loss is just from dumping toxins. Apparently, because of what she is eating during the day, her body is in total cleanse mode. Here's an outline of her plan:

• No food after 6:30pm. She drinks a few 4-ounce glasses of water (some infused with lemon or with honey added). She generally goes to bed by 9:30pm.
• She's generally up at 5:30am. She immediately drinks warm water with lemon first. When she is ready for breakfast, she has her coffee with cream & tries to limit it to an 8ounce coffee with around 2tbl of her Coffeemate plain liquid creamer/no sugar. For food, she eats a piece of toast or a bagel with cream cheese.
• Throughout the day, she avoids any heavy food. She eats several small "snack-sized" meals (she likes a handful of trail mix; a cup of yogurt; etc.). She tries to empty her 16-oz water bottle at least 3 times. This is a struggle for her.
• About an hour before her fasting starts, she has a 'real' meal. She usually does turkey meat or a chicken breast with veggies on the side. 
• Once a week, she allows herself to enjoy a handful of chips or a couple of small cookies. She has a sweet/salty tooth and doesn't want to deny herself.
• She is not a gym-goer, but tags along with friends sometimes. She is walking her neighborhood "a few times a week" in the evenings, parking further away from entrances when she is out, and taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

Daisy is only looking to lose around another 10 pounds or so. Like me, she isn't looking to be her 30-year old self, but she does want to be in better shape and get into the clothes at the back of her closet. She's almost there.

She had me almost laying on the floor in a fit of giggles when she talked about her first couple of days on this fasting thing. She said she was so gung-ho about the idea of something as simple of not eating after a certain point in the day that she got carried away. First day in, she said she went to at least 2 fast food places and oinked out like crazy. And was SO proud when she didn't "cheat" after 6:30. When she got serious about eating better, she overloaded on water (not her favorite thing) and lost at least 1 pound just running to the Ladies'. I'm really proud of her though.

My eating plan is a little different. For one thing, I realize that this is almost more about eating better than it is about eating less. I don't plan to eat much different than I already am, but that daily cut-off point is going to curb my worst habit: late-day/late-night eating. Also, the water thing. Ugh. (I'd gotten better about drinking water, but haven't really lived up to that gallon-a-day thing for a while now...)

Here's my plan:

• Start the fast at 6pm. I'll only drink water - plain, with cucumber slices, or infused with either vanilla extract and honey, lemon and honey, or orange oil and honey*. My sleep time varies from 9:30 to 11:30, depending on how well I am resting. Insomnia.
• I'm generally up by 6 or 9 (again, depending on how well I feel). I plan to not eat before 9am, no matter when I'm up. I'll start with water and, to break my fast, some raw veggies or a 4-ounce cup blackstrap and vanilla soy. I'm not a breakfast eater. Of course, I will have to have my coffee, but I'm going to be better and limit myself to 1 8-ounce morning serving (with 2tbls of my sweetened and flavored creamer). 
• At around 11, I will have veggies with chicken or turkey sauteed with olive oil or palm oil and non-salt seasonings**.
• Around 1pm, I will have soup (which is salted, but I love it and it's only 260 calories for the Teriyaki Chow Mein that I love or 290 calories for the Maruchan Chicken flavored Instant Lunch that okay but cheap.
• At around 3pm, I will have either a spinach/kale salad with some chicken or turkey meat or just skip it. Depends on how hungry I am.
• About an hour before my fast, I will have a serving of sauteed veggies on naan bread.
• I'm going to try really hard to empty at least half a gallon of water during the day, but I'm bad with water. Being hungry after I start the fast might help! 
• I'm going to attempt to make it to the gym at least 3 times a week. At the very least, I am going to copy Daisy and try to walk around the neighborhood. Just walking a couple of times from one end of our street the other is not a bad stretch. I will have to trip it on the pedometer and update this post.

I will try to keep you all in the loop. If I make it at least three weeks like Daisy, I'll be lucky. She claims that it gets much easier after the first week. I'll wait and see...

Peace

Free

P.S. I ** a couple of thing to remind myself to share my delicious and simple recipes.

The water infusions are my favorite. I do them all the time, no matter what the rest of my diet is like! You can use either plain or a seltzer type water. You know, of course, about adding slices of lemon or cucumber to water for flavor. Another think I like is to pick up a little bottle of flavored oil or extract (generally used for baking/cooking) and add just the tiniest drop to waters. You can jazz up lemon and cucumber water by adding a bit of honey. (NOTE: Here in Anchorage, I have to either order my flavored oils or buy them from local health food and specialty stores. New Sagaya and Natural Pantry are stores that carry them in town.)

My veggie dishes are what I came up with a long while ago. I get on these kicks where I just want lots of fresh and colorful food. I love to sautee veggies in olive oil or palm oil (or both) and add as many seasonings as I can without too much sodium. My fave combo includes sweet orange, yellow and red peppers, mushrooms (any kind!), garlic. I'll sometimes leave the spinach and kale uncooked so that I can serve the other veggies and oil over the greens. If I'm feeling really hungry, I'll add a little tomato and avocado to the top.Okay. I usually add tomato and avocado!And maybe some crumbled bits of leftover bacon...  LOL

A variation of this is to sautee all the veggies (greens included) and then serve them over some warmed Naan bread. I love that bread. 

You can freeze the bread and then warm it later. I like to get the small single-serve pieces, but can't always find those. If you get the large pieces, you can slice them up to use small pieces at a time. To warm them, I like to lay them in a pan and use low or medium heat for a few minutes. The bread can also be toasted, but I like to keep the inside really soft.

For seasonings, I like to use tumeric, onion powder, a little cayenne, basil or Italian seasoning. This is one dish that I actually can enjoy Mrs. Dash with.

What I like about this is that, even if I don't use bread, it's filling and so, so flavorful. The best thing about this "eating plan" is that it's fairly cheap. You can use whatever vegetables that you catch on sale. The thing is to vary the seasonings for the food and make sure to flavor up all that water!

Peace

--Free